Toy train.



No. 864,222. PATBNTED AUG. 27, 1907. 3. W. BATES.

T oY TRAIN. APYLIQTIOE FII-BD DEUJ. 1906 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WILLIAM BATES, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO BENSON TOYMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OFMINNESOTA.

TOY TRAIN.

Patented Aug. 27, 1907.

Application filed December 7,1906. Serial No. 348,745.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WILLIAM BATES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ToyTrains; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved toy train made upof a plurality of trailing vehicles such as cars, engines, wagons,trucks, etc., and to this end it consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in l5 theclaims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinv likecharacters indicate like parte throughout the several views.

In the drawings, the invention is shown las embodied in a toy train made`up of an engine and a plurality of cars. f .l

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, showing the en gine and one car.Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the car. Fig. 3 is s. transversevertical section taken on the line x3 :slof Fig. 2, the upper portion eithe car body being removed. Fig. 4 is a detail view in plan, showing thewheel equipped cow catcher of the engine re- 1,for@moved from workingposition. Fig. 5 is a diagram' matic plan view illustrating the trailingaction of a plu- 3() rality of connected cars. Fig. 6 is a. detail viewin side elevation, showing a modified formof the pivoted car truck; andFig. 7 is a. transverse vertical section taken on the line x7 :n7 ofFig. 6.

Describing first the construction o the engine, the

numeral l indicates the body thereof, the same having laterally spaceddepending plates 2 that constitute the fiume in which whcclvequippedaxles 3-4 and 5-4l are monete-d. lhc said wheels may be either fixed orloose ou 1in rcspwtivc axles, but` the rear axle 3 is heldV againstvertical movements by said frame 2, while the front axle 5 is free forlimited vertical movement in slots 7 of said frame 2. The cow catcher 8is pivotally attached at 9 to the lower forwardly projecting portion ofthe boiler body of the engine and is provided with a centrally locateddepending bracket er fork 10 in ity, and the slots 7 have such verticaldimensions that no part of the weight of the engine body will he thrownuponthe axle 5 and wheels 6 under ordinary usage on s. smooth iloor orroad bed. The said Wheels 6, however,

' inv preventing the engins from' being overtgnned @J -Firthermore givea more natural appranceteythe engine and the car or other vehiclesincludes s 110 Vwith the rame plate 22, serves to steer the cur.

the engine. The numeral 12 indicates a drawing cord which, as shown, isattached to an eye 13 on the upper forward portion of the cow catcher 8.The said cow catcher S and its wheel 11 it will thus be seen, constitutethe forward truck oi the engine and lateral oscilla tory movementsthereof serve to determine the line of travel of the engine.

Referring to the construction of the car, which as illustrated in thedrawings is made in imitation of a passenger coach, the numeral 14indicates the body thereof which is suitably imposed upon and suitablysecured to a quite heavy flat floor plate 15 which may be convenientlyconstructed of cast iron and which is heavy enough to give the desiredtraction of friction between the car wheels and the floor.

The rear truck of the car is made up, as shown, of s. pair of laterallyspaced vertical plates 16 and wheelequipped arles 17-18 and 19-20. Theframe plates 16, Aas shown, are rigidly secured to the floor plate 15 bymeans of frame extensions 16* that are` passed upward throughperforations insaid plate 15 and are clenched thereto. The axle 17 maybe either rotary or. nonrotary, but is held against vertical movementswith respect to the frame plates 16. The axle 19 is mounted in slots 21in said trame-plates 16 and is capable of limted vertical movementstherein, so that no part of the weight of the car body will be thrownupon the wheels 20 but the said wheels may, nevertheless, lightly engagewith the door under their own weight.

The forward truck of the car is pivotally attached thereto and the framethereof is made up o s. plate 22 having laterally spaced downtumedflanges 23. The frame plate 22 is pivotaily attached, at its centralportion, to thehlloor plate 15, as indicated at 24, and on either sideof its pivot said frame plate 22 is provided with depending bracket legs25 in the lower ends of which is journaled a truck wheel 2G. The truckwbr-cl 2G carries the weight of the forward portion of the car body, andbeing mounted for oscillatory movements ln the depending side flanges 23are vertical slots 27 in which are mounted axles 28 provided withlaterally spaced truck wheels 29. The axles 2B are capable of limitedvertical movements in the slots 27 so that no part of the weight of thecarbody will be thrown upon said wheels 29, but the seid wheels willusually rest upon the floor under the action of their own weight. Thesewheels 29 and axles 28, however, assist in pre venting the car frombeing tipped over by a lateral rocking movement of the front end di thecar. The weight of the car body, as is evident, is carried entirely bythe two rear wheels 18 and centrally located front whos-125 Theconnection ior producing the trailing action of steering projection fromthe` truck immo of one of the vehicles und ncoupling yoke or hrucket outhe abutting end oi the adj-.went vehicle. For instance, in theconstruct ion illustrated the pivoted fmrue 22 of the forward truck ofthe cnr is provided with n short forwardly projecting rigid steeringsection 30, the extended end of whizu is perfomtcd ut 31. und theropemting coupling yoke or bnicket 32 is provided nt its centrallylocated extended end with n hook 33 that is adopted te be passed throughsaid periomtion 3i. The coupling yoke, 32 is opplierl to the renr end ofthe engine inline 2 und one is applied to the renr euri of the rigidtruck fnnue 16 of cnch cur More specifically stated. the extremitics. olthe prongs or legs of the coupling yokes 32 ure pivotallly mounted inperorutions in the flanges ni the said engine und truck immo, so thatthey are pnble of vertical pivotal movements. hut are rigid againstinterni movement or movements in a horizontal direction transversely el'the line of trnvel. The steering projections :l0 and coupling hnicketsnr yokes 32 are so related to euch other that the one `:chicle will becaused to travel the same or in approximately the same trucks as thosethat are ahead and behind the same in the trnin. It will be noted thntthe pmjecting end of the perionitcd steering portion 30 of the mrneplates 22 is higher up than the pivotal connection between the couplingyoke 32 and the engine frume 2. This produces u slight downward pressureen the wheel 26 in addition to that which is due directif'r to theweight of the cnr body und thus increases the traction of mici wheel.The engine muy be constructed oi enst iron and Weighted so that thewheels thereof will have the desired traction. To insure n goed tuiingaction, on n smooth Hoor, considerable weight ou the wheels isdesirable. Inthe mr, the heavy door plate 15 insures the desired weight.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3, 6, and 7, a centrnl Wheel 34 isjournnled on the central depressed por tion .oi u :wn-rotary nxle 35which is secured to the depending linuges ufo. truc.r Emme 36. Thecentral Wheel 34 is arranged to engage the Hoor while outside wheels 37loose on said axle are heid just. out of contact. with the floor.

While the tmin has, in the accompanying dmwings nud the detaileddescription, been a toy miiwny tmin, it will of course be understoodthat the several features oi invention muy be applied to trains made upof vnrious other vehicles, and that such vehicles may have either pL'liuor ornamental bodies and may be of any suite. blc design.

The forwardly projecting steering portion 30 of the pivotcd truck frame22 is ier convenience called n steering arm, and the. port 32 for thesame reason .is called n. steering coupling, but it will of course be lmderstood that these terms are used brocdlynnd do not limit thenpplicents invention to any specific form 0i these ports. The wurdtruck" is also used in n broad sense und where broadly used is intendedto include a runner equipped truck us woll as :i wheel equipped truck.

What I claim is:

1. A trnln made up of n plurality et' vehicles. seid ve hielen havingplvnted front trucks nnd rigid renr trnme portions. unid plvoled truckshaving centrally loouied [orA wur-diy projectie: steering orma thnt moveiuterully therewith. and steering couplings attached to the rear frameportion of mld "chicles und secured nzxnlnet movement with respectthereto transversely ot suld vehicles. the projecting ends et :midntcerlng urina nnd coperutinu steering coupllugs being plvotnlly united,substantially ns described A trnlu umile up of a. plurnllty orvelllclell hnving plvoted trent trucks. unid trucks hnving ccnirnllylor-sited fonvurfily projecting steering arms rigidly connected to tilefraueni thereof, und yoke-llize steel-ini.' couplings nttnched tu thereni' trarne portions of snld vehicles wllh Trendom rorplvotnlmovements. 4the projecting cutis of suld steering arms und steeringcouplings being detncbnuly nod pivotnlly connected. substantially nsdeacrlln-d.

3. A train runde up et :l plurality ot vehicles, :mld vehicles hrn'lngpirated trout trucks provided with forwurdLv projecting centrallylocated rigidi;l connected steering arms. and steering couplingsattached to the rear mime portions of said vehicles and to theprojecting ends ot sold steeringr arms, the points o! nttnchmcnt of snidsteering couplings te the seid reinicie (nimes being below unid arms.whereby a downward pull is produced ou sold plvoted trucks.substantially ns described.

4. A train made up of a plurullty o1 vehicles, mld vehicles havingplvoted freut trucks with centrally located supporting wheels andrigidi;- attnched forwardly proleeting steering arms. und yoke-likesteering couplings having their prongs pirololii attached to the rigidrear trame portions of snld vehicles. nml provided with hookedprojecting ends for detachable and pivotal engngement with sold steeringnrms of snld pirated truck. suhsantlally ns dcscribed.

T. The combination with n vehicle body bnvingnt its rear portion n rigidwheel-equipped truck frame und provided at its fot-wurd portion with upivoted truck frame. said plvnted truck trnme haring n centrally iccnfedsupporting wheel nud intel-ally rlpuced loosely supported idle truckwheels, substantially as described.

l. in n toy cnr. the combination with n heavy metal tloor plate. of npair of trucks. one of which is pirated to said iloor plate and me othero! which is provided with n sheet metui trame provided with ula-turnedprojections passed through slots ln nid licor plate and bent or clenchedto secure said truck frame rigidly to said tloor plate, aubstnntlnlly nsdescribed.

1'. A toy engine hnvlng a rigid wheel-equipped rear truck and providedat its forward end with n plvoted cow catcher serving as n front truckframe, unid cow catcher having n supporting wheel located directly belowthe pivotal connection nf said cow catcher to the Bald engine,substantlnlly ns described.

ln testimony whereof l nlllx my signature in presence or two witnesses.

JOSEPH WILLIAM BATES.

Witnellelt E. L. HAI-Inox'. 1l. D. )incluait

